Challenge and Enrichment for Ambitious Economics Students
This week I was delighted to travel down to Stratford upon Avon to join the annual gathering of the BASS group of schools. BASS stands for Boys Academically Selective Schools and draws schools from a large geographical range of schools across the UK and the setting at King Edward VI School, Stratford upon Avon was stunning!
There are lots of these cluster meetings held at this time of year. Many teachers are preparing schemes of work, crafting new lesson ideas and drawing up plans for supporting their students as they bid for university places. My talk focused on some of the strategies that I have used in recent years to aid the many students in my own school who are ambitious to win places to read Economics and related disciplines on hugely competitive courses. Here is the essence of what I covered:
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Drawing A Lorenz Curve Worksheet
read more...»I'm introducing my year 12 classes to poverty and income inequality next week, and this worksheet should test out their ability to draw a Lorenz curve from data.
Oxbridge Economics: Nate Silver on The Signal and the Noise
Stats guru and political forecaster Nate Silver reveals in a talk at the RSA why most predictions fail, and shows how we can isolate a true "signal" from a universe of increasingly big and noisy data
Teaching Vacancy: Head of Business Studies & Economics - Wisbech Grammar School
Exclusive (to tutor2u) details of a great HOD vacancy here.
read more...»Teaching Activity: Memory Blast
In this engaging PowerPoint game called Memory Blast, students have the duel task of identifying the definitions of key phrases whilst remembering where those definitions are placed on the screen. The 10 key phrases are hidden behind a number on the screen. Students must work out where each definition is placed and connect it with the definition shown. Teams score points as they match the key phrase with the definition. We provide you with a master, editable PowerPoint file which you can use to add your own content.
Street crime in multi-storey car parks is wrong on so many levels! But this game works well on lots of different levels - the example on the screen grab above and below is designed for students revising their A2 development economics.
Flip the activity by giving the students their own copy of the game and get them to create their own quizzes for you and/or other students to take!
Teaching Activity - Trap Door
I really like the Trap Door lesson activity that is now available for purchase from the Tutor2u Online Store. Trap Door is spooky, scary version of the popular Wipeout game format. Students have 16 possible answers presented. 11 are correct; 5 are wrong. Can they avoid falling through the Trapdoor?
On The Road - My Auckland Presentation
I am posting this blog from Hong Kong airport en route back to the UK after a hectic few weeks in Dubai, New Zealand and Australia. It was a great joy to spend over a week in Auckland and meet up with some fantastic teachers from a range of different schools and colleges in the Auckland area. Here are the slides from my main presentation at one of the events.
read more...»WOW! Economics 2014
WOW! Economics has quickly become the leading CPD course for teachers of A Level Economics, IB Economics and equivalent qualifications. Over 350 Economics teachers have attended WOW! Economics 2013 taking away with them over 40 teaching resources.
WOW! Economics 2014 is the second edition of the sell-out format and returns with another resource-packed day. Our team of Economics contributors simply love their subject and they're putting their heart and sole into creating another fantastic collection of teaching & learning resources which we group into four key types;
- Course essentials
- Inspire & engage
- Exam technique
- Test yourself
Delegates at each Wow! Economics 2014 course receive a full pack containing every resource, including full teaching instructions and guidance. During the day we explore as many of these resources as possible and consider how they can be used most effectively in the classroom.
Book places right now on WOW! Economics 2014 - these places get snapped up quickly!
World of Business - Peter Day on the BBC Web Site
I am delighted that one of my radio 4 heroes Peter Day is starting a new page on the BBC news website. Peter has always had a happy nap for understanding the dynamics of change in business and markets, expect plenty of revealing and thoughtful insights linking to his radio 4 work including World of Business. Click here to access his new page
2013 Royal Economic Society Essay Competition [Update]
UPDATE: Please note that the submission deadline for the 2013 Essay Competition is now midnight on Sunday 30 June 2013. The deadline has been extended to allow A2 Economics students more time to complete their entries after the final A2 examinations.
tutor2u and the Royal Economic Society are delighted to announce details of the 2013 essay competition for sixth form students.
Now in it's sixth year, the essay competition provides a wonderful opportunity for students to engage in independent research and deepen their awareness and understanding of how economic ideas and issues can be applied when addressing contemporary policy problems. For 2013 the Judges have selected six essay titles (shown below).
The final deadline for entries has been moved towards the end of June 2013. This follows requests from many schools and colleges to use the RES competition as a post AS level enrichment activity especially for those students keen on applying to read Economics and related courses at university.
The competition is open to all students who are currently studying AS / A2 Level or IB Economics (or an equivalent course).
read more...»Economics Teacher National Conference 2013
Monday 24 June 2013: Henry Wellcome Auditorium, Euston Road, Central London
The speaker programme for the Economics Teacher National Conference 2013 is now available - and what a day it promises to be! We've put together what we hope you'll agree is a wonderful programme combined with a simply unbeatable delegate rate!
Let's face it - there has never been a better time to be an economics teacher and our subject continues to thrive and grow. The Economics Teacher National Conference 2013 comes at the end of another challenging school year - the idea way for colleagues to step away from exams and focus on the subject alone.
Bookings can be made using this online form
We've decided on a change of venue for 2013 - just over the other side of the Euston Road at the stunning Henry Wellcome Auditorium. This is a slightly smaller venue than the British Library, but one that is also steeped in history. The capacity is just 150 seats, so please book as soon as possible for you and your departmental colleagues in order to secure some of the remaining places.
The delegate rates for the day, which include lunch, refreshments and some other goodies (!) are:
Single delegate - £150 (+VAT)
Departmental Deal - £100 each (+VAT) for two or more colleagues from the same school or college.
[note: you individuals can also obtain the departmental deal if they also come to the Business Teacher National Conference on the following day!)
In 2012 160 Economics Teachers joined us for the conference - you can read a report on the day here.
read more...»Teaching Vacancy - Economics at Peter Symonds College (Winchester)
Many thanks to our friends in the Economics dept at Peter Symonds College for alerting us to this excellent teaching opportunity. Don't forget to mention that you saw it here on the tutor2u Economics Blog!
read more...»Teaching Resource: Redsands Cost Benefit Analysis
Redsands CBA is a substantial teaching resource which allows students to examine and then present back the costs and benefits of various possible projects that could be implemented within a derelict part of a city centre.
This resource is designed to enable students to understand and analyse the concept of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) at both AS and A2 level of Economics.
This resource is provided to all delegates attending WOW! Economics 2013 and may also be purchased separately from our online store.
read more...»Teaching Resource: The Curse of Opportunity Island
The Curse of Opportunity Island is a team-based PowerPoint game where students compete to take resources from a fictitious island. As they do so, they learn about the issue of efficient use of scarce resources.
Opportunity Island is designed to be used early in the curriculum, assuming that the teacher has covered the concepts of the Basic Economic problem, scarcity and opportunity cost.
This resource is provided to all delegates attending WOW! Economics 2013 and may also be purchased separately from our online store.
read more...»Economics at University - Summer 2013 Update
An updated version of my Economics / UCAS Guide
read more...»Essential AS/A2 Economics - the Economics Booster CPD Course (20 June 2013)
Back by popular demand! Thursday 20 June 2013 - Central London
Economics is a booming subject at A Level. As a result, many teaching colleagues are either new to the subject or have been asked to brush up their Economics in order to support the teaching of this fantastic subject.
We designed this new course - Essential AS & A2 Economics - to provide a resource boost for teachers who are relatively new to teaching economics or are a non-specialist in the subject and it was a huge success when it ran in June 2012. So we’re running it again!
read more...»Teaching Vacancy - Economics at Lady Margaret School, London
Yet another excellent Economics teaching opportunity here - all the details below. Don't forget to mention that you saw this on the tutor2u Economics blog!
read more...»Teaching Vacancy - Economics (0.5) at Ripley St Thomas Academy, Lancaster
Another attractive teaching opportunity here - in yet another thriving Economics department at Ripley St Thomas Academy.
read more...»Teaching Vacancy - Economics (Temporary) at The King’s School Canterbury
A fantastic opportunity for one of the tutor2u Economics teaching community to work in the department at The King's School Canterbury here to provide sabbatical cover for a term. Brief details below.
Teaching Vacancy - Economics and Business Studies at Cranleigh School
A superb teaching opportunity here to join our good friends in the department at Cranleigh. All the details below (don't forget to mention you heard about it on tutor2u!).
read more...»Teaching Vacancy - Economics & Business at The Blue Coat School, Liverpool
The closing date for this Economics & Business Studies teaching opportunity is now 7 May 2013 - move fast!
read more...»Teaching Vacancy: Economics at Winchester College
Many thanks to our friends at Winchester College for alerting us to another superb Economics teaching opportunity. Details below.
read more...»Teaching Vacancy: Teacher of Economics and Business Studies at The Grammar School at Leeds
Our good friends at GSAL have a teaching opportunity for Economics & Business Studies. All the details below for the opportunity to join a terrific department in a lovely part of the world!
read more...»Scoop it Boards for Economics
A growing number of teachers are curating Scoop It Boards focusing on specific exam courses or aspects of the subject - ranging from ones on market failure and government intervention through to international economics, China, and relevant articles and resources for papers such as OCR F585 and Pre U. Maybe students can be encouraged to curate and develop their own boards as a way of keeping a study log of interesting blogs, news features, analysis and evaluative pieces?
read more...»Economics at the Movies - Promised Land
Here is another film to add to our collection of films with an economic dimension. Promised Land from Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant stars Matt Damon and is an anti-corporate thriller that centers on the controversial natural gas process of fracking.
read more...»Hugh Pym reports on the Bank of England Competition Final
Here is a superbly positive report on the staff and students at GSAL who are celebrating their win in the 2013 Bank of England Monetary Policy Competition. Read Bank of England brains of the future - the youth view on monetary policy and enjoy the great picture this paints of our fantastic subject.
Paul Ormerod: The Market for Speeding Points
What is it worth to take someone else’s speeding points? The Huhne-Pryce case has brought this into sharp focus. Setting aside the moral issues, the question raises interesting topics in economics.
It turns out that there is a market in these points. The Daily Telegraph discovered that prisoners are willing to take points. By the time they get out, the points will often have expired. For around £200, someone will take your three points. But mingling with a group of England supporters after the Wales debacle on Saturday, their tongues loosened by alcohol, I discovered that one respectable woman claimed to have done it for £500.
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Pinterest: Board on Developments in the UK Economy
Several teachers are now using Pinterest as a way of curating relevant news stories and other resources as a support for their students. Here is a great example from one of our Wow Economics presenters, Ben White (Head of Economics at St Peter's School York).
Click here to have a look at Ben's Pinterest Board on the UK Economy
2013 Royal Economic Society Annual Lecture
We are delighted to share the news that our good friend Tim Harford will deliver the annual the 2013 RES Annual Public lecture. The dates and locations are Tuesday 26 November in Sheffield and Thursday 28 November in London. Tim Harford is the 'undercover economist' and senior columnist of the Financial Times. More details on tickets will become available at a later date from the RES web site. Here is the link.
Economics Revision - Memory Blast and Thinking Skills Bingo
As the end of term comes into view I will be giving some of our new PowerPoint games a go in the economics classroom. For example in A2 macro I am having a look at Memory Blast and Thinking Skills Bingo
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